Over the Sea 6

Winter Marsh

New oil painting! Not exactly what I was after but I`ll keep it. These swampy winter-dead edges of streams and lakes fascinate me. I want to suggest all the teeming life they contain without botanical detail.

Rio Grande Gorge

This is from the mid 80`s, on the original Meridian Drawing Paper. I recently had a bunch of slides digitized to a cd. Seeing them again is like reading an old journal; amusing, mortifying and confusing. I remember the emotions but not the thinking too well. With many of them I`m just baffled, a different man painted them.

Black and White Orchard

These small paintings I`ve posted recently were painted on Meridian Drawing Paper made by Pentalic. It was 100% rag, about 72 lb., tough and heavily sized. It took watercolor beautifully. Because it was relatively inexpensive I felt free to try anything. For over 20 years I used this paper for everything. Then I ran out. Ordered 100 new sheets without a thought. When I went to paint on it I knew immediately something was wrong. It was like blotting paper. The paint sank into it and dried to a dull finish. The opposite of what it had been. Well, I researched it and the 'recipe' had been changed! Only a painter would understand what a calamity this was. In 2004 I didn`t paint a single watercolor. I`m still really upset. I`d pay handsomely to get some of the old stuff. Seems we all have a horror story like this. Painting is it`s own challege, we don`t need the distraction.

Pasture 2

Dune

Pasture